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Author: Intolerant Gent

So when I sat down in front of my laptop on this muggy, summer Sunday morning (appreciate I’m now posting this on a Tuesday evening!) I was intending to write a simple pros and cons article on the Paleo Diet. The benefits of eating meat versus the removal of grains from the daily diet.
That was until I prodded the hornet’s nest of the internet and found out a lot more than I bargained for…

I hadn’t really considered the complexities of the argument and it turns out there’s this hardcore Paleo community arguing their case quite vociferously lead by Robb Wolf, a former research biochemist. Some of the stuff they’re saying has really blown my mind and got me asking bigger questions like “if they know this, why are our governments and the likes of The Association of British Dieticians (BDA) promoting these grains for healthy living when it seems these may be the cause of so many of our problems?”

I feel I’ve started down a long road of discovery here and it’s too early to make my own conclusions so for now I’m just going to attempt to pass on some of the things I have learned.

What is the Paleo diet (brief recap)

The idea is to eat like a cavemen, so eating meat from animals you’ve successfully hunted plus fruit, vegetables and nuts that you’ve gathered.

Legumes (e.g. lentils, chick peas), grains (e.g. wheat, oats, rice) and of course, processed foods and additional sugar are not welcome! Basically, anything you could get your hands on before humans invented agriculture.

A key theory behind the diet is that the human body has not evolved enough over the last 10,000 years to be able to digest grains without causing us a myriad of health issues.

Is pizza trying to kill me?

Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer…is this what I’ve been doing with pizza all these years?! Pasta…I loved you but did you really stab me in the back even when we established a gluten free relationship?

Let’s get dramatic for a moment…grains are evil!

That is of course a hyperbolic statement but based on what I’ve read today, maybe they are causing us a big problem.

So what is the problem?

Staple items in our diet such as bread, pasta and potatoes rate fairly high on the glycaemic index (even the whole wheat versions).

This means they cause sugar to be released rapidly in to our bloodstream. When this happens our bodies secrete insulin. This is a hormone secreted by the pancreas which knocks on the door of our cells causing them to open up and welcome in the sugar a.k.a glucose so our bodies can convert it to energy in order to keep us breathing, running marathons, solving crosswords or whatever it is we want to be doing. However, if the sugar levels in the blood are consistently high (Hey another slice of pizza pie over here please!) then this requires the pancreas to work overtime. And we all know if you keep doing that overtime, you’re gonna burn yourself out! If the pancreas stops functioning properly then this can lead to obesity, diabetes and heart problems.

So this is one argument for following a Paleo diet. On top of this eating fat from meat and nuts instead of so much carbohydrate from grains is likely to make you feel full for longer. Consequently you’re likely to actually end up eating less calories, you’ll have less cravings and therefore will put on less weight.

Now for the mind-blowing stuff that I’ve just found out today. I encourage you to read the full article by Robb Wolf here but I will attempt to explain what I’ve understood below.

Grains don’t want to be eaten!

Not all plants are friendlyYeah I’m as guilty as anyone of thinking rice, wheat, oats and the rest of the crew are just putting in the effort to grow big and strong so that we can chop ’em down and then chomp on down on ’em. I’ve not really thought about the fact that like us and almost every organism on this planet, their main role in life is to reproduce.

Now they can’t really run for it and they can’t really fight off a predator but when they do get eaten they leave the predator with a problem in the hope that we’ll learn our lesson and won’t bother them again.

How do they do this? These grains contain proteins called ‘lectins’ which we swallow, our digestive system takes a hammer to them but they’re tough and don’t crack! They end up in our gut in pretty much the same form that they went in.

They also damage our intestinal lining allowing other proteins to get through. Like a pub at Victoria Station on a Friday night your intestine can end up playing host to a horde of shady characters amongst the regular crowd of good bacteria and proteins. But like a myopic bouncer your body doesn’t necessarily know who should be chucked out and who should stay and therefore may see all proteins as antibodies and consequently attack them. This could be playing a part in the upsurge of allergies, intolerances and auto-immune diseases.

Worried yet? If not here’s another possible problem. Anyone heard of phytates?

Phytates…anyone?

I hadn’t until a few days ago.

The job of phytates in grains is to pull metal ions (e.g. calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, copper) really close to them, give them a big bear hug and never let them go.It’s crucial for the development and growth of the grain that they are tightly bound together. The problem for us is that when we swallow these grains the phytates are still clinging on to the ion, meaning that we don’t get to absorb these minerals. Therefore, our bones may be getting weaker due to the fact we’re not actually absorbing enough calcium. (Note: I will be looking in to the best methods to prepare grains for consumption)

So some fascinating concepts but not everyone’s convinced we should all be going Paleo.

Let’s look at some of the arguments against.

The one that I keep seeing pop up is that there is no scientific evidence to back it up.

There is indeed no large scale research on the diet and whether it works. The benefits of it are anecdotal.

This excerpt from an article in The Daily Telegraph illustrates that officially British Dieticians are not on board:

“The paleo diet trend is a dangerous fad,” says Lucy Jones, a spokeswoman for the British Dietetic Association (BDA). “There isn’t any proof that it improves health, and its demand that you exclude food groups essential to health such as dairy, grains and legumes could leave people seriously deficient in essential vitamins and calcium, not to mention constipated from the lack of dietary fibre.”

I would love there to be real scientific evidence here so that we can really get to the meat and bones of this but with my cynical face on I would ask “what motivation is there for the pharmaceutical industry and/or the food industry to finance trials to see if the Paleo diet works?”.

Why would they want to promote a lifestyle that eschews regular medication, anti-biotics and convenience/mass-produced food?

Ok point taken but what about the evidence pointing towards red meat causing cancer?

The World Health Organisation recently classified processed meat such as sausages, hot dogs and ham as a “class 1 carcinogen” meaning they are strongly linked to causing cancer and they state that red meat is a “probable” cause of cancer.

Red meat as a potential cause of cancer has been talked about for as long as I can remember and I had no reason to dispute it until today. Yes literally until today! I’ve heard so much in my lifetime about red meat sticking around undigested in the colon for years and years, how it could be a cause of bowel cancer, etc, etc and it all seems plausible.

However today I’ve been made aware of the China Study and the book based on it by Dr T. Colin Campbell. From what I understand he advocates removal of red meat from your diet in order to reduce cancer risk and prevent a number of diseases.

Consequently the China Study is frequently cited as a reason not to go Paleo. So no Paleo right…well it’s not quite that simple. Today I also discovered Denise Minger who has made it her mission somewhat to analyse the data provided by the China study https://rawfoodsos.com/category/china-study/page/2/

She has crunched the numbers and has concluded that it cannot be said that red meat and animal products are cancer causing and get this…they may even have a preventative effect. They may be beneficial in the fight against cancer!

As it stands I am half way through a 30 day trial of the Paleo lifestyle. I’m feeling light on my feet, not bloated and my head is clear (no brain fogginess).

I have at times felt physically tired but this has also coincided with new physical workouts, a heatwave making it harder to sleep and the discovery of a new delicious coffee meaning I’ve increased my caffeine intake…

So not exactly a scientific study.

If you want to give it a go, the Nerd Fitness site is a good place to start.

I’m going to complete my 30 days and see how I feel at the end and in the meantime I’m going to continue to find out more about our curious relationship with grains.

Background

In September 2014, researchers from the University of California reported the development of the MEND protocol, short for Metabolic Enhancement for Neurodegeneration. MEND was designed to combine the results of multiple studies to create a comprehensive set of guidelines for enhancing cognitive function in elderly adults. The program was also intended to be personalized to each patient based on his or her lifestyle and medical history. The MEND protocol includes the following guidelines, among many others:

Eat a diet rich in high-antioxidant foods, such as blueberries and kidney beans, and anti-inflammatory foods, such as tumeric and salmon.

Minimize or eliminate simple carbohydrates, such as white bread and pasta, as well as foods with a high glycemic index, which are quickly digested and cause blood sugar spikes.

Fast for 12 hours each night, including at least 3 hours before bedtime. For example, if you typically eat breakfast at 7am, you should not eat anything after 7pm the previous night.

Ok, ok I know what you’re thinking. “He’s changed his mind AGAIN!” or “so this is his latest fad?” or “so what can we cook for him now?” And yes I understand, but look I’m still trying to figure this nutrition, digestion and energy equation out too!

How did this come about? Well, in a slightly unrelated fashion…

Two days ago I was browsing in one of my local charity bookshops (there are many) and I sort of knew I shouldn’t have done this, in the sense that I’m always going to find more books to add to my increasingly creaky bookshelves.

So I picked up a book on language learning (note this is unrelated as I’m not planning on speaking ‘Caveman’ just yet) as well as ‘Wheat Belly’ by William Davis MD. I was familiar with this book in that I’d visited the author’s website before and noted he had strong opinions on wheat. He’s the anti-wheat! He hates it!

He talks from the perspective of a cardiologist who has transformed his patients’ lives by putting them on no-wheat diets and seen them lose weight (maybe there is a magic bullet for weight loss after all?) and most remarkably seen diabetics transform in to non-diabetics! Note: “whole wheat bread (glycemic index 72) increases blood sugar as much as or more than table sugar or sucrose (glycemic index 59). Glucose increases blood sugar to 100, hence a glycemic index of 100.” So he figured the most efficient way to reduce his diabetic patients’ blood sugar was to remove wheat from their diet.

So food for thought (yeah pun intended!) and fast forward 24 hours later, I find a website called Nerd Fitness. I ventured over as I heard it’s for skinny people like me who don’t love the idea of training with Muscle Marys at the gym. However, I discovered it’s more than that, it’s aimed at ALL people wanting to get fit, lose weight, build muscle and it’s written in a really, quirky, funny and yes nerdy way! It’s run by a guy called Steve and he’s a big advocate of the Paleo diet. So my natural curiosity kicked in, I read a few of the articles on his site, signed up for his newsletter and downloaded his ‘Beginners Guide to the Paleo Diet’.

So this is what I know about the Paleo diet

It’s had plenty of mainstream coverage but as a quick recap, the name comes from the Paleolithic period aka The Stone Age when humans were hunter-gatherers and Friday night takeaway consisted of wild boar, asparagus tips, walnuts and blueberries. So on this diet you can eat meat (preferably grass-fed rather than grain-fed), fish (preferably wild rather than farmed), vegetables, fruits and nuts.

This cuts out grains such as wheat and oats and limits sugar to those found in fruits.

Well the average caveman back then was lean, agile, muscular and athletic (I’m willing to take the word of scientists and historians on this), whilst the Average Joe now is overweight (I believe my own eyes for this!), stressed-out, sleep-deprived and suffering a myriad of health issues (think diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome to name three).

The cavemen didn’t farm, so didn’t grow crops such as rice and wheat and instead hunted animals and gathered up plants, fruits and nuts.

Gluten in wheat, barley and rye appears to cause various problems for people . Intolerances may be born out of the fact that these grains are relatively new additions to our diet (don’t shoot the messenger here but it’s worth thinking about).

Interestingly, natural toxins called lectins are produced in grains in order to prevent consumption. The grains are trying to stop us from eating them! These lectins may be causing issues for us in our gastrointestinal tract. Yikes!

If you are looking to lose weight then it may be worth your while considering going paleo. As you will be eating less grain-based carbohydrates it means you will produce less glucose and therefore your body will burn more fat to create energy whilst also meaning you won’t store excess glucose as fat.

I need to gain weight rather than lose it but I’m going to give this a go for 30 days to see if I feel more energetic and to see if it has any benefits for my digestive health and my skin.

Several years ago I used to work for a publishing company with a wonderfully generous Polish girl named Magda. Magda liked to bake from time to time and would make these incredible gluten free (flourless) chocolate brownies.

They were so good I would make her bring the bowl in so that I could lick it! Yes I always want more!

Before we parted ways I made her give me the recipe…that’s sound slightly sinister but I can assure you it was all done in the spirit of EU co-operation 🙂

I’ve since made these brownies for family, friends and work colleagues and they always go down a storm! I get praise, I get requests for the recipe, I get “are these really gluten free?” (as if it’s incredible something without gluten could taste so good! Hands up if you love the taste of flour!) and the other great thing about them is that they’re so easy to make!

So please read on below for Magda’s gluten free chocolate brownie recipe and let me know how you get on.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

300g good quality chocolate (I like to use Green & Black’s and go for 100g each of white, milk and dark)

For the past eight years or so I have started my working day with a lovely, hot mug of green tea at my desk.

What I have noticed over the last few months is that on the occasions that I’ve had a good night’s sleep and have arrived in to the office feeling fresh and bright it’s not long before cobwebs have started to form around my head and I’ve started to feel a bit dozy.

I put this down to the office atmosphere (computers humming, aircon system pumping (or not as is the case in our office), lack of fresh air coming in) or maybe just the feeling of freshness naturally giving way to a general slump in my mood.

That was until I discovered that green tea contains l-theanine. This is an amino acid which promotes relaxation.

L–Theanine is a relaxing and nondietary amino acid found pretty much exclusively in teas from Camellia sinensis (alongside Green Tea Catechins and Caffeine) and is known to promote relaxation without sedation. It appears to be effective at this as well as reducing stress at standard dosages.*

Hmmm interesting…so I did a little bit more research.

This lead me to find this very interesting piece on Yahoo answers which suggests that the temperature of the beverage is a more important factor than l-theanine.

As mentioned, tea contains many different chemical compounds beyond caffeine. Theanine, which is present in tea, does indeed seem to increase GABA production (the neurotransmitter involved in the sedative effects of alcohol and drugs like valium).

However, the amount of both theanine and caffeine, in tea, are relatively low. The caffeine concentration is typically a fraction of that of coffee.

With that said, the temperature of the beverage may well play a bigger role. You’ll ingest the drink at 100+ degrees F, easily above your body temperature. When you eat and drink, blood concentrates around your digestive organs (aka, your “gut” or “viscera”) to absorb nutrients.

You therefore have less blood in your brain and central nervous system, which is why you often feel tired after a big meal. In addition, your blood is absorbing large quantities of heat. Water carries massive amounts of heat very effectively.

Because your body needs to stay at precisely 98.6 degrees, it responds by slowing your metabolism (heat production). This compounds the “relaxed” feel.

So after finding this out, I have restricted my hot drink intake in the morning to one cup of coffee as the higher caffeine content means I don’t feel sleepy. I then drink room temperature water or other cold beverages e.g. coconut water throughout the day and then hit the herbal teas (decaffeinated green tea, peppermint tea, chamomile and lemon & ginger) after 7pm when I’m winding down for the day. I’m feeling fresher in the daytime and it’s helping me to fall asleep at night…zzzzzzz.

If you live in the UK then you’ve probably heard that Mars Foods announced yesterday that their Dolmio pasta sauce is not suitable to be eaten every day! This is due to the large amounts of sugar, salt and fat in the sauce. This secret of the sauce isn’t a huge revelation but it’s very surprising to hear a food company state that their own foods are not suitable for daily consumption.